World Famous Reuben Sandwich comes to Sydney!!

The Reuben, if you haven’t had one yet is a warm sandwich very popular in the US. There seem to be varying stories about it’s origin but people mostly seem to agree that it has been available in New York delis for a very long time. With the popularity of sliders , po boys , ribs and burgers, the Reuben was always going to make an impact and it seems it has. You can find them here ( in Sydney) made with Pastrami and Wagyu and coleslaw instead of saukraut, and other cheeses instead of Gruyere, but Essen Restaurants Reuben is based on the original . Oh and it is delicious….and eye catching…..skewered with a knife!

Brisket from Tasmania is brined for 6 days, before being cooked till tender then sliced, and served warm . The brisket creates a deliciously juicy corned beef and paired with a lightly acidic saukraut, they are as happy as two kids in a sandpit. The Saurkraut is made to a traditional Hungarian recipe and the dill pickle?……….. oh my that is a beauty. It is crunchy and tastes like cucumber but it is not salty and only lightly vinegared, this itself is worth the trip ….(and I haven’t showed you the pork Belly yet). The bread is a soft and flavoursome rye, fresh as a daisy, a tad soft for the girth of the filling perhaps , but you need to be the judge of that yourself. The potato chips are golden and not overly hot. Horseradish is supplied as an accompaniment and I love this flavour with the brisket.

The 30oml beer is the one on the right . It is on tap at Essen , and comes with the Rueben Sandwich. The other beer is an Amber wheat beer ( Franziskaner Weisbier) 500 ml or 1/2 a litre.

The Pork belly or Schweinebauch. Crispy Pork Belly , slow roasted served with Sauerkraut, roesti and red wine Jus $27.50, was as promised….. crispy and yes that’s the price. There are giant plate sized Snitzels of every kind with variations of sauces ( $19- 22.50) , big steaming bowls of soup and Pork Knuckles. Geert the owner and Chef, lamented that he attempted to take the Knuckles and Belly from the menu to replace them with something more contemporary but was told by his customers that this just was not acceptable. Why mess with perfection?. He has created his own little enclave of Northern European specialities. Geert is Dutch from Friesland in the Northern most province of the Nederlands and Dutch specialities can be found on the specials board.

The Dill pickles are his perfectly crafted creation, along with many award winning jars dotted through out this Tyrolian themed restaurant. Something tells me it’s a place for parties, in fact with a private dining and bar area upstairs there is lots of scope for functions.

I am happy to inspect his pickles and interesting art pieces for now, while I dream about that Crispy Pork Belly and The Reuben Sandwich with a beer.

I thought you might want to see more Pork belly before dessert……………………

Apricot and Cinnamon Tart with Vanilla Icecream and Anglaise was today’s special ( desserts from $10.00), but you could have freshly baked traditional Apple Strudel or perhaps a Chocolate and Hazelnut version?

This is Abbey tiny connoisseur whose Dad she says, is ” the best chef in the world”

Tania, I love that you’re in Sydney and you tell me about all these wonderful places that I’ve never heard of or visited before! The Reuben sounds fabulous!!celia recently posted..Garden Update, March 2012

Tania, that is a stunning shot of the Rueben sanger – I’ve heard all about them, but never tried one.
And thank you – I love a blog that includes gratuitous shots of perfect pork belly. Bliss.Amanda recently posted..Seasonal secrets and heirloom carrots

What great food. I will have to beetle over to Ultimo to try not only the world-famous Reuben but also that pork belly. The food just looks so incredible and inviting and the portions seem very generous. Great review and lovely images xxHotly Spiced recently posted..Thirteen Seconds

That top picture is very enticing… I’ve wanted to try a reuben sandwich for a long time, like Celia said I love that you are posting about places I might actually get to one day 🙂cityhippyfarmgirl recently posted..chocolate vanilla layer biscuits

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My Kitchen Stories is a place to find imaginative, fresh recipes with a few stories thrown in.

I love to cook almost anything at all; from everyday fresh and quick food to recipes with more exotic ingredients. I have become a semi proficient photographer, parent and wine drinker… not even in that order.

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